Leading in academics and athletics: President Kirk Schulz to serve on an NCAA board of directors for four years

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University President Kirk Schulz is taking on a new leadership role: serving on a board of directors for the nation's premiere collegiate athletics organization.

The Big 12 Conference appointed Schulz as its representative on the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, Division I Board of Directors. The board is made up of presidents or chancellors from institutions in each of the association's 11 conferences. Schulz will serve a four-year term, ending in August 2016.

"When athletics and academics intersect, it's important for university presidents to show leadership and get in front of some of these issues," Schulz said. "One of the ways we're going to make K-State a Top 50 Public Research University by 2025 is strengthening the interconnectivity between intercollegiate athletics and the campus community. An opportunity for me to serve on the Division I Board of Directors puts us closer to that goal."

The board of directors is charged with responsibilities like electing institutions to Division I membership, overseeing the Academic Progress Rate and Academic Performance Census, and assuring gender and ethnic diversity in the leadership structure.

The board meets four times a year, including in conjunction with the NCAA convention in April. Schulz's first board meeting will be Aug. 2.